Pietro Lorenzetti - Saint Humility and scenes from her life

This type of work was common in the fourteenth century. Until then, holy images occupied mosaics in the domes or crucifixes above the high altar: imposing and distant, they instilled respect and awe. Society changed between the thirteenth and fourteenth century, there no longer were feudal relationships between master and servant. The Church also adapted to this change and promoted a more direct and colloquial exchange between sacred images and the faithful. It was not necessary to know how to read: anyone could approach and observe all the little stories and discover a little bit of her life in the painted scenes: the artist would in fact often paint contemporary settings, depicting the furniture, clothing and architecture of the time.